


Drawing In The Dust

by JaseekaDarkblade2020



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adoption, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Bonding, Curiosity, Dark Times, Derogatory Language, Explicit Language, Family Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Fear, Fear of Death, Fear of Discovery, Foreign Language, Gen, Gun Violence, Hiding, Language, Languages and Linguistics, Mother-Son Relationship, Original Character(s), Pain, Plans For The Future, Possible Character Death, Racist Language, Short Story, Starvation, Stealing, Survival, Swearing, Violence, Wilderness Survival, World War II, risk, stealth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 20:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaseekaDarkblade2020/pseuds/JaseekaDarkblade2020
Summary: A boy, Gabriel, was attacked. His family was taken from him and now he has to survive on his own. Will he get someone on his side to protect him at all costs during the journey? If you're interested, read to find out.





	Drawing In The Dust

(Happens in the early 40s)

(Not a real life story! It could relate to real life!)

There was an 8-year-old mixed boy, white and black, with black hair and dark brown eyes, standing alongside both of his parents and baby sister in their peaceful and small home in Paris, France as they saw Maultier trucks called Mercedes-Benz L 3000 S arrive in their small but packed civilization. His mother and father began to look worriedly at each other from ear to ear as the trucks got considerably closer into the middle of their poor town. The boy bit his lip in worry. All he could understand from this situation was that so many trucks never came into this town like this before. The way his ma and pa glanced towards each other in concern was what really caught his attention the most. His little sister, who was only 5, began to hold onto his hand really tight. She looked just as confused as he did. She had beautiful, smooth, light and long blonde hair and hazel eyes, just like their ma had, with their father having the same exact looks as the boy in the family, but with darker skin. However, her actions were of like their father’s. She made sure to protect anyone no matter if she was in danger or not. The boy and their ma had the urge to flee from the suspicious commotion, but decided that would be the worst choice ever. Looking back onto that choice, however, would’ve been the best direction forward to escaping, but the family had no clue how this was going to turn out for them and the other fellow people in the town. They only decided to follow suit to any important orders the men had to make. Otherwise, worse could’ve happened for their family if they dared to escape even in the slightest.

The last of the men got out of their trucks, saluted to their leader in affirmation to the last of their required rules, then all spread out into pairs to each house that they settled to sought to first.

Immediately, the boy and the girl’s ma and pa told them to find their hiding places. It would be now or never.

“Oh cher! Les Allemands sont là! BÉRÉNICE, cachez-vous sous moi et le lit de votre père. Ne pas sortir à tout prix. Nous ne voulons pas que vous risquiez votre vie cette fois. Il est impératif de rester là où vous êtes en tout temps. Est-ce entendu?”(Oh dear! The Germans are here! Berenice, hide under me and your father's bed. Do not come out at all costs. We don't want you risking your life this time. It is imperative that you remain where you are at all times. Is that understood?) Their ma ordered in her most stern posture that the children had never seen before.

“Oui ma.” The boy’s little sister agreed to their ma’s plan as she stalked unsurely towards the bed and slid right under it with a bit of hesitation. She was not used to fleeing and or backing down from a situation like this, but she obeyed anyways, for the sake of their ma’s poor heart.

Now their pa began to tell the boy what to do. “Gabriel, montez au deuxième étage et cachez-vous sous votre lit. Votre ma et moi placerons deux armoires sur chaque porte que vous et votre sœur sont cachées. Je couvrirais la porte qui mène au deuxième étage tandis que votre ma couvrira la porte de notre chambre avec une autre cabine de rechange. Les deux vous déplacer un muscle, n'est-ce pas?”(Gabriel, go up to the second floor and hide under your bed. Your ma and I will place two cabinets over each doorway that you and your sister are hidden in. I will cover the doorway that leads up to the second floor while your ma will cover the doorway to our bedroom with another spare cabinet. Don't any of the both of you move a muscle, okay?) Their pa directed.

“Oui, par an.” The boy nodded his head as he darted up the stairs without second thought, and waited for quite a long while under there. Whilst he was waiting, he looked through all of the things that were under the bed. He found dust balls and a few brushes and jewelry here and there. He picked up a golden earring as he heard the commotion downstairs beginning to rise.

“Madame, avez-vous des enfants ici en ce moment?”(Ma'am, do you have any children here at this moment?) A guard asked his ma.

“Désolé monsieur, mais mon mari et moi non.”(Sorry sir, but my husband and I don't.) She lied firmly. “Nous n'avons jamais encore trouvé le temps de construire nos vies jusqu'à ce que tous les hommes soient venus s'installer.” (We never found the time to build up our lives yet until you all men came barging in.) She grumbled.

The boy had the feeling that this was not going to end well. Indeed, he was right. He heard someone slap his ma across the face, then he heard the shocked shouts of his pa and the wails of his ma. He prevented himself from getting out from under the bed. He knew it would get worse right then and there if he even dared to do such a thing.

“Ne vas-tu pas gifler ma femme maintenant! Vous êtes tous des bâtards si vous pensez gifler une femme est d'accord. Laisse-la tranquille, et ne la touche plus jamais!”(You are not slapping my wife now! You are all bastards if you think slapping a woman is okay. Leave her alone, and don’t touch her ever again!) The boy’s pa warned them the best he could. He began to twist his fingers together and pray in Hebrew that his family will be alright. Of course, he whispered it to his best ability, not wanting his parents to get in more trouble.

“Ferme, idiot français-juan!”(Shut up, you idiot french-jew!) Another spat as the boy heard him punch his pa across the face. He heard his pa slump to the ground, not being able to get back up, and he heard his pa’s body being drug out of their home. He began to silently sob as his ma cried out, “S'il vous plaît! Ne nous éloignez pas! Qu'est-ce que nous avons déjà fait pour vous? Je promets que nous serons-”(Please! Don't take us away! What have we ever done to you? I promise we will be-) Next, he heard his ma got hit in the head, then they drug her out next.

The boy was sure that they now were going to leave their home in peace, but then those two guards came back in.

“Mon ami, vérifiez cet étage inférieur ici alors que j'essaye de trouver les escaliers du deuxième étage, avez-vous cela?”(My friend, check this bottom floor here while I try to find the second floor stairs, got that?) The first guard ordered without any hesitation.

“Oui monsieur!”(Yes sir!) The second guard obeyed, then they spread out to possibly find more people in the home.

The boy never felt as scared as he did now. He and his little sister could be caught any second now. Luckily, the first guard couldn’t find the second floor stairs like he thought he would. Once the boy sighed with relief, he heard his little sister scream as she was easily caught by the second guard. He began to hear her plead. The cries broke his heart as he had no choice but to wait it all out in the most unbearable way possible. There was nothing he or even his parents could do to save her. So, all he could do was listen to the painful but angering sounds of the guards’ rambling as his little sister continued to cry on.

“S'il vous plaît! Laisse moi partir! Je veux ma mère et moi! Je les veux maintenant!”(Please! Let me go! I want my ma and pa! I want them now!) She sobbed ever so much.

“Tais-toi, ta stupide fille! C'est votre faute que vous êtes un juif honteux pour commencer! Mon partenaire,”(Shut up, you stupid girl! It is your fault that you are a disgraceful jew to begin with! My partner,) He said, “Retirez-la et séparez-la de ses parents. Compris?”(Take her away and separate her from her parents. Understood?)

“Oui, tout à fait compris! Je vais l'emmener ici maintenant.”(Yes, completely understood! I will take her from here now.) The second guard promised as he did drag her from the house that very moment.

“Humph! Vraiment? Cachez vos pièces derrière les armoires? Vous vous moquez de moi…”(Humph! Really? Hide your rooms behind cabinets? You have got to be kidding me…) The man shook his head in disbelief as he rechecked all of the other cabinets. The boy bit his nails in worry as he was afraid that this mean guard would find him too.

Finally, the first guard gave up, and left the house. The boy forgot that he wasn’t breathing throughout most of his hiding time, and he inhaled very loudly and exhaled just as much. Now, he was sure that they would leave for good, but he slightly ended up hearing the leader shout out, “Hommes, visez tous vos lance-flammes dans leurs maisons sales et feu!”(Men, aim all of your flamethrowers at their dirty homes, and fire!)

That’s when the boy almost experienced death.  
The fire surrounded him but he found a way to jump out of it all without being seen by any guard from outside. He heard the desperate cries of his family as they knew that he was hiding in the home, but luckily, he was outside now. He planned to escape it all through a forest behind his wrecked up home. After that, he never saw his family ever again. An 8-year-old was now outside in the open to fend for himself. His lungs were slightly burning, but he knew he was going to be alright since he still could run around without any trouble. His brain was still clear of thoughts and new horrible memories to come, sadly. But he was able to move on almost quick. The last cries of his family were no more now, considering that he was beyond deep in the forest.

The strengths he received from his father’s lessons of survival picked up a whole new level. He felt a fire of energy build up in his system. He never ran and dodged so much trees and logs on the ground so swiftly his whole life. His family depended on his survival though, that was that much he knew. He was only 8 after all.

He began to worry for his burning lungs as they were not improving in the slightest. They began to burn more and more, so he decided to rest deep in the woods. He found a great spot in the cave, but first made sure there was nobody or nothing there. Bats were his worst fear, but hiding in the cave seemed to be the best solution for his poor innocent and confused mind.

Anyways, it was a bit warm in there as well. No bears seemed to be living in it either, so it was the perfect hiding spot, or more like resting spot for the time being.

He realized that he had no more pairs of clothes with him. Everything in the house that he cherished to no end had burned uselessly by those monstrous men that he would’ve liked to say, like what his parents would say, in their face: “Selfish snakes”. Which to an 8-year-old, that meant only a monster’s name, but to an adult, it would mean “sneaky, money-grubbing Germans”.

The boy began to shiver. That was because he had no shirt on the whole time. He couldn’t believe that he would forget to bring a shirt with him, let alone a jacket, just to save his delicate life form. He didn’t even have socks on! But at least he was wearing pants and underwear. At least he had some protection. “Plus de bonnes nouvelles!” (More good news!), his mind screamed. “Au moins c'est toujours l'été! Je ne pouvais pas imaginer ce que je ferais alors si c'était l'hiver!” (At least it is still the summertime! I couldn’t imagine what I would do then if it was Winter!)

His father didn’t teach him much on how to hunt, but he did teach him well how to find the right fruit and vegetables and find shelter the quick way. Shelter would be the first plan on his mind tomorrow, but for now, it was after dusk, and he had to sleep. So he found his most comfortable spot in the cave, and slept without any blankets, or a mattress, or a pillow, or even a kiss goodnight by any of his parents…

*****(A few days later)

He still seeked desperately for shelter, because the sun was actually becoming overwhelming for him, so once in awhile, he had to rest under a tree’s shade. He had found a metal bottle a couple days ago, perhaps belonging to a German soldier, since it had a German name on it, and he used it in rare streams he barely found within the deadly depths of the woods. Well, he and his father never went this far into the woods before. The farthest they ever went was a couple miles or so. From how much an 8-year-old could speculate a distance from, he guessed that he was at least a bit more than 10 miles into the woods so far.

He drank some of his slightly cleaned water, then trekked on. The boy really wanted this to end. He never really thought that his life would consist of unbearable survival. But, here he was. Running around in the woods as a truly confused, little 8-year-old boy. Finally, he decided to rest under another tree for a few minutes to at least catch a bit of breath he may be able to suit for later. Then, he began to feel intense pain in his left fist.

He was shocked to still have one of his ma’s golden earrings in his hand. Now, it pierced halfway deep into his poor small hand. He was afraid to pull it out, but he knew that if he didn’t do so, his injury would get relatively worse. So, he did exactly that, pull it out, even if it was a torture to do so. Once the earring was out, his hand began to bleed constantly. He began to freak out. No 8-year-old doesn’t want to die like this, that much is a fact. So, while he panicked, he swiftly began to tear off half of his pant legs and tightly bound the pieces of cloth around his left hand. Luckily, the cloth was thick enough to calm down the overflow of blood. The boy sighed in relief, then stood up to continue on searching for a nearby town.

He glanced at the earring in his right hand, then looked at his bandaged hand. Even if the earring caused great injury to him, he still was adamant on keeping the earring safe. It was the only item that reminded him of any of his family members. Especially his mother, but now it reminded him of everyone he lived with. His mother of course owned the earring herself. However, it also reminded him of his pa and his little sister. His pa was the reason why his mother ever owned jewelry to begin with. His pa could’ve given his ma anything to calm her down. Jewelry was her big factor to calming her jittery senses. His sister on the other hand, was technically a part of the actual jewelry itself. Her birthstone was engraved in the middle of the piece. That is why the boy didn’t want to get rid of it, it reminded him of everything and everyone in his very childhood home. He still of course was a child, but thinking back on himself a year ago at him being 7 years old was what really made him seem older than he should.

God, he missed his family.

*****(Next day)

He didn’t realize that he slept for so long under the same tree. It was already noon time of a new day. What he didn’t realize was that today would be the beginning of a lucky new life that most kids weren’t able to get at his age in this pastime.

So he got up, and trudged on. He knew that he was getting low on food and water, but he felt as if he was getting closer to shelter. After all, he was following the sun’s path. Maybe his god wanted him to go that exact path, so he went for it. Double his luck, because he found an abandoned wrecked up town with a river alongside it. He saw many big buildings that he could easily hide in, but he decided that collecting water he already found and finding more berries first would be a much better solution. So, he did exactly that. The boy filled up his water bottle to its highest point, then closed the lid shut. He slowly moved on into the woods to perhaps find the most perfect bush of berries he could ever find.

But before he could even get more than one step into the woods, he heard German men shout out orders to each other as they were slowly getting closer to the abandoned town. They began to argue with each other in German as the boy immediately ran into the closest tall building without thinking twice.

“Sind Sie sicher, dass wir die meisten dieser schmutzigen Juden in diesem verdammten Land bekommen haben?”(Are you sure that we have gotten most of those dirty Jews in this damned country?) The first German soldier asked.

“Natürlich haben wir! Jetzt müssen wir nur eine verlassene Stadt finden, in der wir für den Rest dieses Krieges bleiben können.”(Of course we have! Now we just need to find an abandoned town to stay in for the rest of this war.) Said the German leader with full confidence.

“Was ist, wenn es in dieser "verlassenen Stadt" versteckte Feinde gibt?” (What if there are some hidden enemies within this "abandoned town"?) The second German soldier argued.

“Hör mal zu! Wir werden von vielen mysteriösen Dingen umgeben sein, aber wir müssen nur wissen, wie wir mit diesen Dingen umgehen müssen. Wir sind keine Soldaten umsonst!” (Listen! We will be surrounded by many mysterious things, but all we have to do is to know how to deal with these things. We are not soldiers for nothing!) The German leader snapped. He was sick of his men being scared over nothing.

“Unser Führer hat Recht! Wir müssen uns auf unsere Aufgaben konzentrieren! Wenn wir das nicht tun und wir einfach weiter ausflippen, werden wir unsere Aufgaben nicht rechtzeitig erfüllen! Sind wir jetzt alle auf der gleichen Seite?” (Our leader is right! We have got to focus on our tasks at hand! If we do not and we just continue on freaking out, then we will not be accomplishing our duties on time! Are we all on the same page now?) The backup leader ordered sternly with complete impatience.

“Jawohl.” At least a dozen of men obeyed the two leaders.

“Gut, jetzt lass uns gehen. Richten Sie die Häuser ein! Angriff, wenn jemand anderes in ihnen ist. Verwenden Sie keine Flammenwerfer! Verwenden Sie nur Ihre Maschinengewehre. Habt ihr Männer?”(Good, now let's get going. Set up the homes! Attack if anyone else is within them. Do not use flamethrowers! Only use your machine guns. Got it men?) The first leader ordered.  
Then, the men began the search and the moving in.

The boy had no clue how to sneak within the abandoned town that he found first. He realized that he just had to be diligent within his plan. He faced the two doors of the tall building that would lead him outside, then he laid a hand on one of the doorknobs. “Eh bien, les temps désespérés appellent à des mesures désespérées!”(Well, desperate times call for desperate measures!) He thought to himself, then bravely snuck outside to his best ability.

Today, he decided to find more different varieties of food that his father would’ve thought of finding if he was in this situation himself. Of course, he would find more berries, but he also thought of finding possible cooked meat that he could snatch up from the Germans to have a balanced meal. He always was obsessed with eating as evenly as possible within his choosings.  
The boy hid behind a small but decent-sized tree for someone like him. He slowly peeked behind, and saw at least 4 Germans sitting around a fireplace. The boy was confused at first, because usually fireplaces would be made in the nighttime, at least, that was what his ma and pa told him. Unless…

… Yes! They were merely cooking up recent meat they got from all of their hunters, and deciding to save most of it for their dinner. Once all the meat was thoroughly cooked after a half hour or so, the men proceeded into their own towering buildings, ready to take their naps for the time being. From what the boy could tell, he guessed that it was the afternoon already.  
He waited for another half hour to make sure that none of them would exit from their buildings, and when none of them did, the boy finally decided to sneak towards their precious amount of food.

*****

The man slept out near the bushes, so ready for all of the equipment in the buildings to finally work under their construction. Otherwise, he wouldn’t ever come back in, even just to get warm and or sleep. The man wished sometimes that this war never happened to begin with, but hell, what could he do now? All he could do was obey their damn fuhrer, Adolf Hitler himself.

The more the war drug on, the more he began to hate the bastard’s guts. Sometimes, he felt ashamed being a German.

Then, something stopped his thoughts from going further, as he saw a shadow sneaking towards their supplies, mainly their meat.

He was immediately wide awake now. He could only sit up and watch. He made a bit of sound, which caused the shadow to jump violently. He and the shadow were in a complete stand still.

Then, the shadow began to move before the man could get up and warn the boy to leave and never come back, but what he saw was very heartbreaking.

The boy’s whole torso was obviously showing bones through the thin skin. From how the boy looked, the man guessed that the little kid had not eaten since maybe almost a week ago. He was amazed that the boy had survived at all throughout that condition, but if he wasn’t fed properly for a couple more days, he would be done for.

‘Verschrauben Sie es. Der Junge braucht Hilfe. Er ist nur ein Kind. Aber meine Männer werden diese Nachricht nicht freundlich annehmen. Ugh ... was auch immer. Sie unterstützen sowieso den bösen Hitler. Zum Teufel mit ihnen…’ (Screw it. The boy needs help. He is only a kid. But, my men won't take this news kindly. Ugh... whatever. They support evil Hitler anyways. Screw them…) The man growled very silently to himself as he continued watching the boy take at least a quarter of the meat they had.

As he watched the poor kid stumble away from a bit of the weight of the meat, the man decided, ‘Na gut, ich könnte meinen Männern einfach sagen, sie sollen abdrehen. Nee, ich sollte nur sagen, dass die Tiere das Fleisch genommen haben... ja, so etwas…’ (Oh well, I could just tell my men to screw off. Nah, I should just say that the animals took the meat... yeah, something like that…)

*****(Next day)

The men surprisingly slept through the noon of yesterday all the way to the morning of today. They did trek through quite a lot of woods yesterday, so they needed loads of sleep before they went right to work with the tall buildings and their surroundings.

The man began to take interest to the boy’s existence. The boy’s survival skills seemed to be beyond experienced for his age. He actually got desperate to get to know the boy better, the boy’s age and intelligence.

The man was afraid to show himself to the boy, because if he did, the boy would flee and he could get caught while doing so.

Just from that scary thought alone, he realized that he already began to care for the boy’s health and safety. He now did not care if the boy was a Jew, or even a German, the boy is a kid. No kid should be treated like dirt. Like useless toys. Adults shouldn’t be treated like that as well. This whole silly war was bound to make the man go insane at some point.

‘Ich werde den Jungen heimlich beschützen, egal was passiert…’(I shall secretly protect the boy, no matter what happens…) The man promised to himself without a moment of hesitation.  
‘Aber ich frage mich... wie soll ich mit ihm kommunizieren, ohne ihn zu erschrecken, ohne mich zu zeigen?’(But I do wonder... how should I communicate to him without scaring him, without exposing myself?) The man thought. ‘Hmmm… Vielleicht sollte ich sehen, ob irgendwelche Papierreste in irgendeinem Gebäude zurückbleiben, wenn man bedenkt, dass ich einen Stift in meinem Laderaum habe.’(Hmmm... Maybe I should see if there are any scraps of paper left behind in any building, considering that I do have a pen within my hold.)

So, he did just that. He began his new mission.

*****(A few hours later)  
The leader of the Germans in this messy town began to feel doubt for his backup leader. The second man in command didn’t seem to be around them that much. That weird guy seemed to wander off more often than usual. So, the leader began to spy on the man. What else could he do right now? All the rest of his soldiers were doing the majority of the work for him and his backup leader anyways.

So, he went right to work.

*****(An hour later)

‘Verdammt!’ The man snapped at himself for not being able to find any scrap of paper whatsoever. ‘Ich werde mir diesen Plan genauer überlegen müssen. Mein Stift scheint zu diesem Zeitpunkt fast nutzlos.’(I am going to have to think harder about this plan. My pen seems almost useless at this point.) The man shook his head in disbelief as he shoves his pen into his breast pocket, never feeling so flustered in his life. ‘Ich muss über diesen Jungen wissen, oder ich werde verrückt werden!’(I need to know about this boy, or I am going to go insane!)

He stomped into a building in utter anger as he tried to think harder about this unfortunate standstill between him and the boy’s communication. As he stopped moving, he looked down in thought, then froze. He saw how dusty this floor was. He could see the clear footsteps he just made a moment ago made out into the dusty floor. He could see every line of his footprint in that floor. An idea struck him. Once he looked at his fingers, he knew he had the best plan yet. He could draw the boy’s attention to him this way better than any other. It was better than showing his identity to the poor soul.

Showing his words on the ground to the boy was better than he could bargain for. He knew the boy would be terrified if he saw the man’s figure, even if he only heard the man’s voice. Words in the dust would not terrify the boy at all. The boy would think that there be another stranded child communicating to him by dust. The man wasn’t close to ready to scaring the boy’s head off anytime soon, so he stuck to the plan. He was ready to draw, even though there would only be words.

*****(A couple hours later/nighttime)

The boy rested on the highest level of the building, but not exactly on top of it. There was no way he could get to the roof of the building, so the best he could do was lay down on the floor that was the level he could find within the tower.

He could’ve sworn that he heard a bit of noise down at the bottommost floor, but he avoided it, considering he realized that the footsteps weren’t coming up towards him. He waited until they left though. Once the one pair of footsteps were no more, he slowly got up after 10 minutes of utter silence, and proceeded down the creaky and unstable stairs. He made sure to be as slow and silent as possible, but that he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t be caught. Once he made it to the main floor, he jumped.

He saw words drawn within the ground, all surrounded by huge amount of dust from the past destruction of the explosions of this very building that he was standing in shock right now at this moment. The words said, ‘Ist hier jemand?’(Is anyone here?)

The boy couldn’t understand the words. All he knew was that they were German words, nothing else. It disturbed him that there could possibly be a German child running away from his or her family because the writing did look messy like a child’s writing. He wrote in the dust, ‘Je ne suis pas sûr de te comprendre.’(I am not sure that I understand you.)

Soon after, the conversation just kept on happening in the dust, without the both of them seeing each other in person.

‘Désolé, l'allemand est ma langue maternelle, et le français est à vous. Connaissez-vous un Allemand?’(Sorry, German is my first language, and French is yours. Do you know any German at all?) The man wondered in silence.

‘Non je ne pense pas. Pourquoi demandez-vous?’(No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?) The boy began to feel a bit suspicious with how the conversation was going.

The man decided to write on the walls of the room. That would be better, just so no one or nothing could walk all over their writing. He hoped the boy did the same. ‘Je ne suis qu'un spécimen très curieux, c'est tout.’(I am just a very curious specimen, is all.) He quickly wrote.

The boy began to write on the wall as well, luckily. ‘Qui es-tu?’(Who are you?)

‘Désolé, mais j'ai peur de vous dire mon identité exacte, alors je vais juste vous dire mon prénom. C'est Conrado, ce qui signifie conseiller honnête ou courageux.’(Sorry, but I am afraid to tell you my exact identity, so I am just going to tell you my first name. It is Conrado, meaning honest or brave advisor.)

‘J'aime ton nom. Voulez-vous savoir le mien?’(I like your name. Do you want to know mine?)

‘Sauf si vous le voulez, alors cela ne me dérange pas un peu.’(Unless if you want to, then I don't mind one bit.) Conrado assured.

‘C'est Gabriel. Je suis Gabriel.’(It is Gabriel. I am Gabriel.)

Conrado thought that the boy’s name suited him well. It sounded like an adorable name, a good name for an innocent 8-year-old boy. He smiled as he continued on writing in the dust. He wanted to get closer to the boy. Gabriel seemed to be his only line of light at this point, even if he only saw the boy once before now. ‘J'aime ton nom aussi.’(I like your name as well.) Conrado admitted.

‘Excusez-moi, mais quel âge avez-vous?’(Excuse me, but how old are you?)

‘Rappelles toi? Je ne veux pas être bien connu, et je suis sûr que vous ne le savez pas non plus. Tout ce que je peux dire, c'est que je suis aussi démuni que vous.’(Remember? I don't want to be well known, and I am sure you don't too. All I can say is that I am just as helpless as you are.) Conrado finished wisely.

‘Désolé, je suis juste très solitaire, Conrado.’(Sorry, I am just very lonely, Conrado.)

‘Moi aussi Gabriel, moi aussi.’(Me too Gabriel, me too.)

Then, they stopped so they could sleep in their own areas.

*****(Next day)

The leader today was adamant on finding out what his backup leader was doing. He couldn’t find the damn guy yesterday. If he was not suspicious yesterday, then he definitely was today.  
It was merely the very early morning as he searched for his most loyal soldier, and hoped to find him sooner. Luckily, he did. He found him near the bushes the guy always slept nearby.

The leader poked his shoulder, and the second-in-command jumped.

“Conrado, wo warst du gestern?”(Conrado, where were you yesterday?)

Well, this was a first. Usually, Conrado realized, the leader only called him by his last name. This time, things seemed much different. He was almost terrified to continue the weird-out-of-nowhere conversation.

“Ich bewachte das Gebiet, Sir.”(I was guarding the area, sir.)

“Nun, wenn Sie wirklich alles oder sogar alles bewachen, wie erklären Sie dann, dass mindestens ein Viertel unseres Fleisches genommen wurde?”(Well then if you were truly guarding everything, or even anything, then how do you explain that at least a quarter of our meat was taken?) The leader growled.

Conrado’s hands began to sweat. He wondered if he should approach the violent way or the confused way. The confused way seemed more logical.

At least, to him it did.

“Worüber redest du, Herr?”(What are you talking about, sir?)

“Du weißt genau, was ich meine. Sag mir, warum unser Fleisch so plötzlich genommen werden würde.”(You know exactly what I am implying. Tell me why would our meat be so suddenly taken.)

“Ummm…” Conrado struggled ever so much. He just decided to be violent after that. “Äh, warum kümmerst du dich nicht nur um deine eigenen Angelegenheiten?”(Uh, why don't you just mind your own business?)

“Entschuldigen Sie mich!?”(Excuse me!?) The leader felt flabbergasted at the sudden attack from his own loyal partner. “Nun, worum geht es hier, oder?”(Now what is this all about, huh?)

“Ich war nur hungrig, Sir. Ich konnte es nicht erwarten letzte Nacht zu essen, okay?”(I was only hungry, sir. I couldn't wait to eat last night, okay?)

The leader squinted into Conrado’s eyes to see if he was telling the truth. Then the leader began to care less. He walked away from the weird man.

Conrado decided to sneak back to the building that Gabriel was still hiding in. Of course, he went to the building after he was sure that the leader was far from seeing him do so.  
As he entered through the doorless entryway, Gabriel accidentally saw a glimpse of Conrado’s tall figure. Gabriel didn’t freak out however, as the boy saw how truly helpless the guy was. He could clearly see the lifelong suffering within his eyes.

“O-oh! Das sollte nicht passieren! Gabriel, schau in die andere Richtung!”(O-oh! This was not meant to happen! Gabriel, look the other way!) Conrado freaked out.

“Quelle? Qu'est-ce que tu dis? Pourquoi as-tu peur de moi? Pouvez-vous parler français?”(What? What are you saying? Why are you scared of me? Can you speak French?) Gabriel asked incredulously.

“Désolé, j'ai oublié que votre langue principale était le français. Et non, je n'ai pas peur de toi; J'ai peur pour toi.”(Sorry, forgot that your main language was French. And no, I am not scared of you; I am scared for you.)

“Pourquoi?”(Why?)

“C'est parce que tu es un garçon complètement impuissant entouré de méchants Allemands comme nous.”(It is because you are a completely helpless boy surrounded by mean old Germans like us.)

“Mais ... vous n'êtes pas méchant.”(But... you are not mean.) Gabriel said, his eyes showing utter confusion, like a true innocent soul.

“Gabriel, je suis méchant. J'ai rejoint les hommes sans penser à ce qui pourrait arriver à tout le monde. Je ne pensais pas du tout aux conséquences futures de mes actions. Je suis vermine complète, enfant.”(Gabriel, I am mean. I joined the men without thinking about what could happen to everyone else. I didn't think at all about the future consequences of my actions. I am complete vermin, child.) Conrado sighed.

“Mais monsieur ... vous êtes confus, tout comme moi. Ce n'est pas ta faute.”(But sir... you are confused, just like me. This is not your fault.) Gabriel argued.

“Mon garçon, s'il te plaît, j'aurais dû savoir ce que mon pays avait l'intention de faire. Je vis là pour pleurer à haute voix! J'aurais dû essayer de les arrêter dès le début. Mais je n'ai rien fait, et nous voilà maintenant. C'est horrible.”(Boy, please, I should've known the things that my country was planning to do. I live there for crying out loud! I should've tried to stop them from the very beginning. But I did nothing, and here we are now. This is horrible.) Conrado spilled all the guilt from his mind. All Gabriel could do was listen and remain hauntingly silent throughout the whole verbal ordeal.

Finally, Gabriel spoke up his mind as well, “Je me sens aussi horrible. J'aurais dû essayer de sauver ma famille, mais je les ai laissés pris par un groupe entier d'Allemands. J'étais dans ma maison, essayant de sortir alors que les vils hommes brûlaient ma maison. Je ne pouvais m'échapper que par la fenêtre arrière du bâtiment. Ma famille criait pour moi, inquiet que je sois allé au paradis. Ils ne savent pas si je suis ici ou pas, et je ne sais pas s'ils le sont aussi. Je me sens si impuissant!”(I feel horrible also. I should've tried to save my family, but I left them to be taken by a whole group full of Germans. I was in my house, trying to get out as the vile men burned my house down. I could only escape out the back window of the building. My family was crying out for me, worried that I went to heaven. They don't know if I am here or not, and I don't know if they are as well. I feel so helpless!) Gabriel cried as the second-in-command German soldier hugged the hopeless boy. Conrado patted Gabriel’s back as the boy continued on his guilt ride. “J'aurais aimé rester et les avoir sauvés! Je souhaite que je ne les ai pas laissés prendre ma petite soeur! Pourquoi!? Pourquoi cela doit-il arriver? Je veux que ma maman et mon papa reviennent! J'ai l'impression qu'ils sont là, mais je ne peux plus les trouver! Conrado, je veux dormir pour toujours! Je veux penser à tout cela comme un rêve! Qu'avons-nous fait pour que cela nous arrive? Conrado, aidez-moi!”(I wish I could’ve stayed back and saved them! I wish that I didn’t let them take my little sister! Why!? Why does this have to happen!? I want my mommy and daddy back! I feel as if they are around, but I can’t find them anymore! Conrado, I want to sleep forever! I want to think of this all as a dream! What have we done to have this happen to us!? Conrado, help me!) The boy pretty much lost it at this point. He couldn’t let go of the man as he sobbed out all of his stresses and guilts right out of his system. Conrado could only comfort the boy as one tear slowly rolled down his face.

“Gabriel, je suis désolé que je ne puisse pas t'aider mieux que des câlins. Y a-t-il quelque chose que je puisse faire pour toi, fils?”(Gabriel, I am sorry that I can't help you any better than hugs. Is there anything that I can do for you, son?)

“Conrado, il n'y a pas besoin de m'aider, monsieur. J'ai l'oreille de ma mère, après tout. En fait, où est-ce!?”(there is no need to help me, sir. I have my mother's earring, after all. Actually, where is it!?) Gabriel freaked out as he fell right off of the man’s lap and began to search for the precious item.

“Ne t'inquiète pas Gabriel, je vais le chercher. Ne vous inquiétez pas pour une chose.”(Don't worry Gabriel, I will look for it. Don't you worry about a thing.) Conrado assured.

Gabriel was about to argue with the man, but realized in the situation that they were in, there was no wasting time allowed, no matter the problem they had with certain things. So, he let the second-in-command look for it.

Conrado searched every floor, but began to lose hope as he got higher and higher in the building. Luckily, he found it covered in dark brown blood on it’s sharp tip, waiting to be so graciously collected into someone’s hands. He got suspicious of the dry blood, and set out to ask the little boy about it once he got to the bottom floor, until he noticed a few airplanes and a few trucks arrive towards their abandoned town. He saw by the symbols that they were Russians and Americans coming to collect the Germans and take them all to their doom, and possibly find any victims there to save them.

He was glad that the boy would make it either way now, but he was not going to be safe. He had to have a plan now, or never. Conrado decided that he could escape with the boy, so Gabriel could not be alone in an orphanage for the rest of his life. He had to do this. He was not an evil man to begin with, but the Russians and Americans would never believe him now.

He literally ran so quickly down the narrow stairs that he thought that he was going to trip, fall and have a major head injury. Luckily, it did not come to that. The boy looked confused and scared in a corner of the room as the Germans outside freaked out because of their approaching enemies. They were not prepared for this.

“Gabriel, il est impératif que nous partions maintenant.”(it is imperative that we leave now.)

“Pourquoi, Conrado?”(Why, Conrado?) Gabriel stammered.

“Les Américains et les Russes sont là pour nous éloigner définitivement des Allemands, je le sais juste. Allons!”(The Americans and Russians are here to take us Germans away for good, I just know it. Come on!) Conrado shouted as he seized the boy’s bony arm and ran out of the building, not even caring if the other Germans saw them both fleeing from the area.

Once Conrado decided to look back at the messed up town one more time, he barely caught a glance at his leader reaching out for him as he was being drug away from him and Gabriel. He did not slow down one bit, but the face of his leader did haunt him for good. It was the face of horror, regret, desperation, and many other emotions combined into one expression. Conrado continued on running, wishing that this was all a dream. Then, before he realized it, he had the boy’s body tucked under one arm now as he was the only one to run.

“Conrado, ne les laisse pas nous attraper! S'il vous plaît!”(Conrado, don't let them catch us! Please!) Gabriel sobbed.

“Je n'abandonnerai jamais!”(I will never give up!) Conrado growled as he ran with all the power he got left. Sadly, they were eventually stranded by a couple of Russians and another couple of Americans. Gabriel held onto Conrado tightly, never letting go once throughout the whole ordeal.

“Sir, you better let that boy go now, or we are going to shoot you!” The American soldier warned as he aimed his gun straight at the German’s forehead.

“Nein! Ich schwöre Männer, ich bin unschuldig wie es sein kann! Ich sorge mich um diesen Jungen! Es ist nicht wie es aussieht!”(No! I swear men, I am innocent as can be! I care for this boy! It is not what it looks like!) Conrado raised his arms up high to show that he was truly innocent.

“What the hell did that German scum say?” The same American asked the other American.

“He said that he is innocent and he cares for the boy.”

“Ha! Like hell he does! That boy is a Jew, and all Germans hate Jews, so he has to be lying my friend!”

From what Conrado could see, none of the men believed him, even if he didn’t understand their words. The Russians remained silent, only making sure that he and the boy didn’t try to make a run for it.

So, he tried a different tactic. He spoke to them in French to show that he respected the Jews’ companions.

“S'il vous plaît, les hommes, croyez-moi, je suis seulement là pour sauver le garçon. Si ce n'était pas pour lui, je me tournerais définitivement vers vous. Mais cette fois, je ne ferai pas une telle chose. Le garçon a besoin de quelqu'un qui le connaît et prend soin de lui avec son cœur! Donnes moi une chance!”(Please men, trust me, I am only here to save the boy. If it wasn't for him, I would be definitely turning myself in to you guys. But this time, I will not do such a thing. The boy needs someone who knows him and cares for him all with their heart! Give me a chance!) Conrado pleaded without giving up.

“Come on! That guy speaks two languages fluently! Goddamn…”

“Shut up, you uneducated fool. Let me translate for you like I always do. The guy said that he wants to save the boy and give him a place to live. He thinks that no one else would be able to care for the boy. He wants to be given a chance.”

“Ha! This German should be a comedian! I wouldn’t believe that bastard if I were you in a million years.” The dumb American warned.

“Messieurs s'il vous plaît! Ne prenez pas Conrado! J'ai perdu ma famille et je me suis échappé dans cette ville. Tout le temps que je me cachais ici, l'homme m'a protégé. Il ne m'a jamais abandonné, ou jamais pensé à moi comme une pile de déchets ou inutile de traiter avec. Je ne veux pas qu'il parte!”(Sirs please! Don't take Conrado away! I lost my family and I escaped to this town. The whole time I was hiding here, the man protected me. He never gave up on me, or never thought of me as a pile of waste or useless to deal with. I don't want him to go!) The boy sobbed all of his heart out.

“Hmm…” The smart American translator said, “The boy seems genuine about the man’s safety. Should we let them go?”

“NO!” The dumb American snapped. “He’s a German! We can’t trust him!”

“Ugh, you are acting just like the Germans do with the Jews. How about you shut up and let the Russians talk, okay?”

“Fine.” The dumb one huffed, then the translator asked the Russians in Russian language whether or not they should trust the boy’s and the German’s words. They both said yes.

“See, you lose every time. Now, let us take care of the evil Germans.” The smart one smirked as the dumb one gasped in complete despair of the situation he was in.

“Goddamnit you all! God, I just want to-” But the four men ran so far away from the man and boy that they both couldn’t hear the men’s voices anymore.

“Gabriel, nous l'avons fait à travers eux! Je n'ai jamais pensé que ce soit possible, mais nous voilà maintenant!”(Gabriel, we made it through to them! I never thought it to be possible, but here we are now!) Conrado swung the boy around in a circle, never feeling so happy in his life!

Gabriel giggled as they continued on in the forest and made it out into a location where some things were already being rebuilt.

Conrado went to the police station, and finally got permission to take care of Gabriel for the rest of his life. Gabriel almost forgot about his parents and his ma’s earring, but got the earring, which was clean of blood by the way, and they both lived happily ever after!


End file.
